Grandma

My great-aunt, Ada, said to me;
you’re like your father used to be;
I never knew quite what she meant
or cared, I had a life unspent.
Her sister, Mary, gave me books
which I devoured like cakes she cooks;
both were born Victorian girls
their high church collars, necks of pearls
whose tut-tuts shaped my father’s core;
gossiped my mother was a whore;
in which, sadly, there was some truth
notably after red vermouth
or Babycham and brandy wine;
the show of stocking tops a sign.
My grandma Hanna was the third
of sisters, with some values shared
before year ninety sixty nine,
who knew the truth, and broke the line;
encouraged me to go to sea;
not shelter in the morbid lee.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2025

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Andresen Avatar
August 29, 2025 at 1:32 AM
- Those who gossip and are eager to find something to gossip about - they tend to be the ones with the most to hide, Terry :) - A great poem :) - hugs
Miller Avatar
September 1, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Thank you Anne-Lise
Etgen-Baker Avatar
August 28, 2025 at 5:04 PM
outstanding rhyme and story conveyed in those rhyming lines...that takes skill of which I'm impressed.
Miller Avatar
September 1, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Thank you Sara
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